North Korean film A Schoolgirl's Diary had its debut screening in Cannes Market yesterday.

Paris-based Pretty Pictures is selling the film at Cannes after acquiring international rights earlier this year. CEO James Velaise originally picked up French rights last October after seeing the film at the Pyongyang International Film Festival.

'This is the first time a North Korean film is being shown in a Western market,' said Velaise, hinting at a major international fest premiere this summer.

A Schoolgirl's Diary is screening again on Monday.

Directed by Jang In-hak, the humorous drama is about a rebellious teenage girl in North Korea.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, a well-known cinephile, advised closely on the script and editing, according to Velaise.

Pretty has also picked up a trio of North Korean classics, The Flower Girl - and adaptation of an opera by pere Kim Il-sung, The Bell Flower, awarded at the Karlovy Vary fest in '74, and two-parter The Tale of Chunhyang, a revolution tale based on a folktale romance.

Topics